Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Green garlic guacamole

  • Pin It

Call me crazy, but I like my guacamole smooth and simple. My favorite guacamole recipe belongs to my younger son Weston. He makes it slowly, delicately, painstakingly at the kitchen counter, gradually adding fresh lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Sometimes it takes him half an hour to get the balance of rich avocado and sharp acid just to his liking. I get impatient and try to hurry him so I can get dinner on the table, but he ignores me. And then he eats the whole bowl, so I can't complain. Avocado, after all, is a superfood, and I do like his crystal-clear skin and shiny hair.

Sometimes I want a little more personality in my guacamole, though, which is why I made this version with fresh green garlic for some friends a few weeks ago. Green garlic, which looks like an overgrown scallion, is the young garlic plant, harvested before the bulb swells and hardens. You use the whole thing, green leaves and all. It's milder than bulb garlic, but it's still definitely garlic. A stalk of that, a few beautiful ripe California avocados, a bunch of cilantro, lemon, salt. Whip it in the food processor and it turns out almost fluffy. 

Chips are fine, but I've taken to serving guacamole with thinly sliced rounds of daikon radish lately. The cool, crisp radish and the creamy avocado like each other a lot. And it's a guilt-free cocktail snack that won't ruin your appetite for whatever's next.



print recipe

Green garlic guacamole
Make this unusual avocado dip in the spring when green garlic turns up in farmers' markets.
Ingredients
  • 1 large stalk green garlic, washed carefully and chopped (use the whole thing)
  • flesh of 3 ripe avocados
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Put all ingredients in the food processor. Whizz until smooth. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Serve with chips or raw vegetables.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: approximately 3 cups

5 comments:

SweetSavoryPlanet said...

It is interesting that I was talking with someone about green garlic. Guac looks like a great vessel since it takes on flavors so well. Nice recipe, love it.

Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen said...

Hey Erika! I've never tried green garlic (or black, for that matter). I'm pretty sensitive to raw garlic, so I usually roast it. Have you ever roasted green garlic? Maybe I wouldn't need to roast it since it's milder than full-grown garlic. At any rate, I've never tried adding garlic to guac, but I bet it will taste great! Thanks for the idea. :)

Erika Kerekes said...

Tori, I don't think you'd need to roast it. It's more like a scallion - the green parts are herbal and aromatic, and the bottom is white but a lot milder than a garlic clove. Try it!

Monet said...

You are like me, Erika. I like my guac rather simple. The garlic addition sounds great though! Thank you for sharing another beautiful recipe with me. I'm sorry I've been so absent! You are an inspiration and a blessing. I hope you have a wonderful end to your week, my sweet friend!

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

So, I saw some green garlic in the Farmers' Market last week and wasn't sure exactly what to do with it, so I didn't buy any (even though I thought is was soooo cool looking). Guess I'll go back and get some!

Thanks....

Post a Comment